Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 136

The Mound’s Villain – Episode 136

Ha-sung’s velocity returned.

Thwack-!!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[101 mph fastball! Jung Ha-sung strikes out two batters in a row!]

With the return of his fastball, the batters were helpless.

[This season, the Texas Rangers’ lineup is considered the best in the league. But they are helpless against Jung Ha-sung’s fastball!]

After seeing pitches in the mid-90s, the perceived speed drastically increased when a ball over 100 mph came in.

It was maddening for the batters.

‘How are we supposed to hit it if it suddenly gets this fast?’

But they had no choice.

[Jung Ha-sung facing the third batter!]

Ha-sung didn’t give them time.

Now that his condition had improved, he began an indiscriminate bombardment.

Thwack-!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[Three consecutive strikeouts!! Jung Ha-sung’s one-man show!]

6th inning.

Ha-sung struck out all three batters and cleanly finished the inning before coming down from the mound.

Wow~ His original velocity returns in the 6th inning.

What has he been doing until now?

Was his condition not good?

Was he not in good condition at first, but now it’s back to normal?

No, is that even possible?

I’ve heard that there are players like that among veterans.

No, but isn’t he only in his second year?

Is he a monster with experience too?

It could be innate.

I’m going crazy, seriously, lol.

Baseball fans couldn’t help but be astonished by Ha-sung’s change.

And that was the same for the opposing team’s manager.

Ron Washington watched Ha-sung return to the bench and asked pitching coach Mike Maddux.

“His velocity suddenly returned to normal?”

“Perhaps he struggled a bit with poor condition in the early innings, so he pitched to contact while improving his condition.”

“No, is that possible?”

“Yes, it is possible, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s not something a rookie-level player would do.”

Mike Maddux, Greg Maddux’s brother, is considered the person who reorganized the Rangers’ mound.

The Texas Rangers’ performance this season is largely due to Mike Maddux.

So he knew exactly what Ha-sung had done.

‘He wasn’t just a monster.’

Mike Maddux highly praised Ha-sung.

He thought he was a pitcher with precise control, not just one who relied on power.

But there was an even greater monster hidden inside.

‘It could be dangerous.’

The Rangers are currently in first place.

But what if the Athletics, with Ha-sung on the mound, start to catch fire?

He couldn’t guarantee they would be able to hold on.

* * *

Top of the 7th inning.

Cliff Lee, who had been pitching well, began to falter.

Thwack!!

“Ball! Base on balls!!”

[It’s a walk! Arnold doesn’t swing at the breaking ball! He succeeds in getting on base with good plate discipline!]

As Arnold walked, the Athletics seized an opportunity.

And the Athletics’ batters didn’t miss this chance.

Clang-!!

[He hit it! A hit that splits the gap between shortstop and third base! Arnold to second! The Athletics get a chance with runners on first and second with one out!]

[Cliff Lee’s pitches are starting to drift towards the middle of the plate.]

[His pitch count is also approaching 100.]

Washington’s head became complicated.

Then Mike Maddux said.

“We need to make a change.”

“Hmm…”

“To secure this inning, it’s best to activate the bullpen.”

At the pitching coach’s advice, Washington made a decision.

[Ron Washington comes to the mound.]

Cliff Lee was taken out of the game.

He had met the requirements for a win, but there were runners on base.

[It’s a good pitching change timing. To silence the Athletics’ lineup, Lee’s pitches, with his stamina depleted, are dangerous.]

[The Rangers’ second pitcher is Darren O’Day!]

Darren O’Day.

A submarine pitcher who had a good season in 2009 with an ERA of 1.94 [Earned Run Average, a measure of runs allowed per nine innings].

This season, he was firmly securing the Rangers’ bullpen and establishing himself in the major leagues.

[Darren O’Day, a submarine pitcher rarely seen in the major leagues, I wonder if the Athletics’ lineup can catch this pitcher.]

Underhand pitchers are rare in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], but even rarer in the major leagues.

It was difficult to hit the ball properly because the trajectory of the ball was different from the norm.

It was also difficult to adapt because it was not a familiar trajectory.

But the Athletics’ lineup’s momentum was strong enough to ignore that.

Clang-!!

[He hit it! A ball that goes past the first baseman! The runner on second rounds third and heads home!! The runner on first goes to third!! The Athletics finally score! They bring the game back to square one!]

[He scored by hitting the first pitch from the new pitcher! It was a very good hit!]

[Game reset! The confrontation between the two teams starts all over again!]

The score became 1 to 1.

* * *

The game was reset, but something had changed.

“Hiss-!!”

Whoosh-!

Thwack!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[It’s a strikeout! Jung Ha-sung, who came to the mound in the bottom of the 7th, overwhelms the Rangers’ lineup!]

[He’s already striking out five batters in a row!]

The Rangers’ mound had changed, but Ha-sung was still guarding the mound.

It was no longer a battle between aces.

In addition, Ha-sung had returned to his true self, a power pitcher, from the finesse pitcher he had been in the early innings.

[I wonder how far Jung Ha-sung, who has already struck out five batters in a row, will continue this record.]

[Looking it up, the record for consecutive strikeouts is 10, set by Tom Seaver of the New York Mets in 1970.]

[So, if he gets five more strikeouts, he’ll tie the record in this category?]

[That’s right.]

While the commentators were talking about the related records.

Ha-sung was pressing the batter with a fastball.

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!

Thwack!

Whoosh!

“Swing! Strike!”

[The batter swings and misses at a 102 mph fastball that strongly pierces the inside corner!]

[Ah~ Jung Ha-sung’s four-seam fastball is truly a masterpiece!]

[Jung Ha-sung with two strikes and one ball! Will he finish it here?!]

Ha-sung exchanged signs and went into his windup.

Swoosh-!

Following the kick, Ha-sung twisted his body and concentrated all his strength.

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!

[He threw it!]

The ball that left his hand pierced the outside low course of the strike zone.

The batter didn’t swing, thinking it was too far, and the ball passed through the strike zone as it was.

Thwack!

“Strike! Batter out!!”

[It’s a strikeout! Jung Ha-sung’s finishing pitch was a 103 mph four-seam fastball!]

[Ah~ Josh Hamilton argues that the ball was far, but it definitely came in!]

[With this, Jung Ha-sung strikes out six batters in a row!!]

Ha-sung was running for another record.

* * *

Mike Maddux couldn’t understand it at all.

‘Pitchers usually get strikeouts when they have stamina left. But suddenly, he’s getting consecutive strikeouts in the middle and late innings?’

As Mike Maddux said, most of the pitchers who achieved consecutive strikeout records did so in the early innings.

Jake Peavy and Ricky Nolasco, who achieved the most consecutive strikeouts with nine, both achieved this record before the 5th inning.

‘Only Tom Seaver, who recorded 10 consecutive strikeouts, started the record from the 6th inning with two outs.’

It was an understandable record because he was one of the best live-ball pitchers, Tom Seaver.

It was astonishing that Ha-sung, who had just debuted, was achieving that record.

‘If he records all strikeouts in the remaining two innings, he will achieve 12.’

This would surpass Tom Seaver’s 10, which is a major league record.

‘He’s a pitcher who exceeds my expectations.’

He had thought of Ha-sung as just a power pitcher.

But he needed to change that thought.

* * *

Bottom of the 8th inning.

Ha-sung took the mound again.

[Jung Ha-sung, who has struck out all six batters since the 6th inning, if he strikes out all the batters in this inning as well, he will set a record of 9 consecutive strikeouts.]

[Ah~ I’m looking forward to seeing how far this record will go!]

[Me too! Jung Ha-sung exchanged signs, windup!]

Ha-sung, who went into the windup, threw the first pitch.

“Hiss!”

Whoosh-!

Clang!!

[The bat turns from the first pitch! Well-hit ball!]

The ball hit by the bat flew quickly to the outfield.

At the moment when it seemed like the record would be broken, the ball spun and flowed out of the foul line.

“Foul!!”

[It’s a foul! It was a well-hit ball, but it falls outside the foul line!]

[Ah~ That was chilling!]

[It really is.]

A situation where even the viewers felt chills.

But Ha-sung didn’t seem to care much, putting rosin on his hand and stepping on the pitcher’s plate again.

Trevor sent a sign to such Ha-sung.

‘The reaction to the fastball is good, how about going with a slider?’

‘No. Let’s go with the fastball.’

‘Hoo… Okay.’

Trevor nodded at Ha-sung’s stubbornness.

[Jung Ha-sung exchanged signs, throws the second pitch!]

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

Clang!!

“Foul!!”

[It’s a foul again!]

[Jung Ha-sung is trying to overwhelm the batter with his stuff.]

[But wouldn’t it be better to throw a different breaking ball at times like this?]

[That’s true, but Jung Ha-sung likes head-on matchups so much that he’s showing fastball-oriented pitching.]

It was a well-known fact that Ha-sung insisted on fastballs.

That’s why this thought naturally came to people’s minds.

Two strikes.

What will he throw?

Of course, it’s a fastball.

I agree.

Ha-sung means fastball!

Ha-sung’s pitching was so simple that even ordinary fans could tell.

Of course, the batters knew it too.

‘The fastball will come.’

As the batter took a batting stance, Ha-sung, who had finished exchanging signs, went into the windup.

[What kind of ball will he throw! Jung Ha-sung windup!!]

“Hiss!!”

Whoosh-!!

The batter swung fiercely at the ball that was quickly piercing the center of the zone.

‘I got it!’

Whoosh-!

It was when his bat was about halfway around.

Suddenly, the ball disappeared from the batter’s sight.

‘Huh?’

He was surprised, but it was already too late to stop the swing.

His bat, which had missed its target, cut through the air in vain.

Whoosh-!

Thud-!!

Immediately after, a dull sound was heard in succession, and the mitt lightly touched his butt.

Tap!

“Out!”

[Swing and a miss strikeout! The batter’s bat misses the sharply dropping slider perfectly!]

[Ah~ He perfectly catches the batter with a sweeping slider that pierces the plate!]

[Trevor’s catch was also excellent, right?]

[That’s right. He caught the one-bounce ball well and quickly touched the batter to make the out!]

[With this, Jung Ha-sung gets 7 consecutive strikeouts!]

Breaking everyone’s expectations, Ha-sung’s finishing pitch was a sweeping slider.

He had shown it a few times before, but it wasn’t a pitch he mainly used.

More than anything, it was a moment when he broke his stubbornness at a crucial moment.

‘Pitchers tend to throw the ball they trust in important moments. The most reliable ball for Jung Ha-sung is definitely the fastball.’

Mike Maddux exclaimed.

‘Could it be that the sweeping slider, which has a low throwing rate, is also a reliable ball?’

The camera focused on Ha-sung, who had struck out seven batters in a row.

[Jung Ha-sung, who is challenging the major league record once again! 5 outs remaining! To set a new record, he needs to catch 3 batters in a row!]

As the camera angle changed, it captured the batter entering the plate.

[But at the plate is the Rangers’ hero! Michael Young is coming up!]